


Sharing (Future) Plans

by Djaeka



Series: Kwami (story) Swapping [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Telling Stories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-19 15:17:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22379836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Djaeka/pseuds/Djaeka
Summary: While running errands, Ladybug runs into Adrien. What better time to chat in the park about their plans for the future?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Kwami (story) Swapping [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590067
Comments: 6
Kudos: 117





	Sharing (Future) Plans

Ladybug giggled as the fourth or fifth child excitedly tugged on her leg, begging for an autograph. She hadn’t exactly been planning the trip to the park or being mobbed by a bunch of children, but it was definitely one of the more adorable mobs she’d ever seen.

The day had been sunny and clear. It ensured that there had been plenty of children running around when she came back from a quick trip to the fabric store that Tikki _really_ hadn’t approved of Ladybug using her powers to make.

But she’d been persuasive and eventually the sweet kwami had acquiesced.

She definitely hadn’t counted on a screeching group of children calling her name and waving frantically from the park nearby her house.

They’d been _begging_ for autographs.

There were kitten eyes.

She caved almost instantly.

_It’s really not too much time out of my Saturday anyway._

Ladybug grinned widely at the little boy who shyly asked her to sign his wooden truck, eyes directed at the rocks beneath his feet and one thumb in his mouth.

He mumbled a request for a hug and Ladybug’s heart melted immediately. She had to push aside the urge to cover her mouth and squeal. Ladybug knelt down next to him to sign the truck, tucking the little boy in a quick hug before moving on to the next bouncing child.

“This is kind of an unexpected day for you to be out, Ladybug.”

A voice filled with curiosity drew her out of her starry eyed gaze at the crowd of children. Ladybug spun, smile in place, only to find that Adrien Agreste was grinning at her. Between the green of his eyes and the lopsided smile, he looked too much like her partner. Her brain froze.

_Oh my god Adrien is talking to me, say something, anything!_

“How would you know?”

The impudent retort was out before she could stop herself. She clapped a hand over her mouth violently, smacking herself in the face in the process. Adrien winced at the sound of the impact, smile dropping entirely.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay? That looked like it hurt.” He eyed her cautiously, eyebrows pinched and mouth open.

A muffled _fine_ found its way out from behind Ladybug’s hand. She squeezed her eyes shut, certain that the embarrassed blush she could already feel prickling her neck would have to go away if she just couldn’t see Adrien standing there with concern in his eyes.

“Are you sure?”

Oh _god_ even his voice sounded so concerned and sweet. Ladybug’s eyes fluttered open and she nodded.

_Maybe if I double down. Own the stupid comment. That makes it no longer stupid, right?_

With a deep breath, Ladybug dropped her hand to her side. She moved it to several spots next to her body before settling it uncomfortably on her hip. “So um. Yes. How would you know what days I’m out?”

He snorted before smoothing the expression on his face back into something resembling polite interest rather than amusement. She appreciated the attempt to make her feel less _dumb._

“I follow the Ladyblog. Um, Alya, the Ladyblogger, she’s a friend of mine! So I keep track of what she posts because she’s my friend?”

The questioning tilt at the end of Adrien’s speech made Ladybug’s eyebrows lift, but she chose not to comment on it. He’d ignored her own stumbling, she could return the favor.

A tugging at her arm told Ladybug that she had another tiny fan, and she directed a smile at the little girl who was holding a pen and paper out to her.

“Can I have an autograph, Miss Ladybug?”

“Of course! Who should I make it out to?”

The little girl whispered her name in Ladybug’s ear when she took a knee. She quickly scribbled her signature across the page for the girl.

“Do you want mine too?”

Ladybug looked up, amused at Adrien’s earnest question. He stared down at the little girl, a grin firmly in place. Ladybug frowned. The brain-freeze she’d experienced earlier when Adrien looked too much like Chat tickled her mind once more as the out-of-place expression remained on his face.

“Why would I want your autograph? I like the superheroes, but I don’t know who you are.” Her little brown pigtails bounced as she tossed her head to one side.

“Because I’m-“ Adrien cut himself off, wide eyes staring down at his hand. He quickly whipped his arms behind his back and a sheepish smile pushed the grin off his face.

“Never mind!” The little girl shrugged, took her paper, and waved to Ladybug as she ran back to her waiting parents.

Ladybug stared at Adrien in confusion for a moment before he noticed her puzzled expression.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the dirt. “I forget sometimes that little kids aren’t going to want my autograph. I get really used to it with people my own age.”

Ladybug sighed, nodding in understanding. She placed a hand gently on Adrien’s shoulder.

“I get it, don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.” She winked, delighted when Adrien burst out into laughter.

“Thanks. Don’t know what I’d do if something silly like that got out.”

“I’m sure your father wouldn’t be very pleased,” she teased lightly. Despite the obviously lighthearted tone, Adrien flinched a bit.

“Yeah, he. He really doesn’t like when I do things that might mess up his brand.” His shoulders fell and Ladybug swallowed. Making him sad wasn’t the goal.

She huffed. “Maybe his brand could _use_ a little more silliness. It’s too proper as it is.”

“You follow my father’s brand?”

“Of course I do!” she crowed, “He’s my favorite designer! But I think a little playfulness could go a _very long way_ with some of his clothing lines. They’re all so very stiff and _haute couture_ and there’s not a lot of call for that in everyday life.”

Adrien made a small noise that could have been surprise. He glanced around, finding a bench nearby and gesturing to it with a lift of one eyebrow. Ladybug nodded happily, trailing behind him to sit on the bench with knees touching.

She looked away immediately, hoping desperately that he missed the blush that found its way back to her face.

“I definitely think you’re right about his brand, it’s kind of stuffy. Maybe someday I can introduce you to him one day and you can tell him.”

He lifted his hand and rubbed his neck again, laughing humorlessly.

“You know. Introduce you when an akuma _isn’t_ actively trying to hunt him down.”

Ladybug tried to hold the laughter in, but burst out with it when she considered how often Gabriel Agreste managed to irritate someone to the point of akumatization.

She leaned back on her palms, letting her back rest lightly on the bench. “That might be really nice someday. I’d love to work in fashion. It would be the opportunity of a lifetime to be able to speak with him, even for an hour.”

“Why do you want to be in fashion?”

Ladybug glanced sideways at Adrien, not really facing him yet. She looked up toward the sky. A small cloud drifted along the blue sky and she closed her eyes for a moment to breathe the crisp air.

“When I was little, I made dolls and toys for my friends. I loved making things, so I just kind of did it. I didn’t have a plan for where all those things were going to go and I had to make room for more.”

Adrien snorted and Ladybug glared at him playfully.

“So I started giving them away. And somehow everyone loved the silly little things. They were nothing truly _special_ , certainly nothing like the current quality I work at. I was just starting out and they were things like turtles in crooked plaid or lizards covered in polka dots made of broken threads. But I loved them. And my friends would light up when I handed them over.”

She lifted her hands into her lap and stared down at them before meeting Adrien’s eyes.

“I put the joy of making something out of nothing into those toys. I loved making them. I _created_ out of scraps of fabric and thread and when I gave them away, none of that joy was lost. So making things with love and care managed to communicate those same feelings to the recipient.”

A fond smile creeped onto Adrien’s face and Ladybug fought the persistent heat on her cheeks so she could finish the story. Maybe even without stuttering.

“I don’t know when it turned into making clothes, specifically. But I want to give that to as many people as I can.”

“I think that’s a beautiful reason. I’m not sure my father ever felt that way about anything.” His face fell and he stared down at his shoes, slumped over his knees.

Ladybug hesitated. Gritting her teeth, she placed a hand delicately on his knee. Adrien looked up, clearly startled by the action. She smiled, aiming for reassuring.

He smiled back at least, so maybe she got close enough.

Ladybug retrieved her hand reluctantly, clearing her throat. “How about you? What do you want to do with your life after school?”

Adrien hummed. “I’d love to go to _université_ and study physics, actually. It’s fascinating and there’s so many different kinds of physics to learn about.”

He glanced away again. Ladybug tilted her head, frowning.

“But um. What I would really love to do is be a stay at home dad.”

“Really?” The word left her lungs in a surprised gasp, but Adrien barely reacted.

“Mm hmm. Not forever, but at least while they’re young. My mother did that with me. She made every day special for me. Sometimes we’d go out into the garden and play, and sometimes we would go to the zoo and look at all the animals.”

He turned to Ladybug, relaxing his shoulders and leaning back into the bench again.

“Those everyday things were special because it was _ours._ It was just for us and it made the whole day unique and wonderful.” He smiled sadly. “I want that with my kids. I want to give that to them.”

Ladybug allowed a fond look to steal across her features before schooling them back into a neutral expression. It was probably too close to the face he usually got from her in class for her to allow him to see it for long. Adrien didn’t seem to be paying much attention at the moment, though.

“But I think the day that solidified that for me was actually with my father.”

“Really? He seems so busy all the time.”

“He is. And always was. Mother was the only one who could convince him to pull himself away from his work. But she had an appointment or an interview that was going to take all day and she couldn’t get out of it. So my father had to take a whole day off of work just to watch me.”

He laughed, eyes sparkling but distant.

“He’d tried to work while watching me one other time and it just didn’t work very well. I trashed everything I could find, so he didn’t try that again. This particular day he took me to the Louvre. We spent the whole time looking at the statues because it was harder for me to get into trouble in the wide open areas. The smaller hallways with the paintings just invited trouble.”

Ladybug laughed freely before commenting, “You make yourself sound like a little terror.”

Adrien’s smile widened and he nodded enthusiastically, hair falling into his eyes before he brushed it back absently.

“I was! I would rip papers to shreds, pull on anything dangly, you name it and I found a way to take it apart. Drove father nuts, honestly. But the statues were safe enough, harder to get to. I remember standing in the main hall before we left and I asked why my father was staring at one particular statue.”

He looked Ladybug in the eyes again. “I don’t remember which one it was. But he told me that the artist was amazing. Not because he’d done a good job or that it was any better than all the others. But because taking something lifeless and bringing life into it was a beautiful and rare gift.”

He sniffled once, eyes wet. “He said it’s what my mother could do. And that it made him think of how much he loved her.”

Ladybug’s heart clenched, squeezing the air from her lungs and making her feel dizzy. She tried to find words to say.

Not finding any, she reached for Adrien’s hand. He looked up at her with surprise when she grabbed it.

But when she squeezed his hand gently, he smiled as brightly as the sun around them before squeezing her hand back.


End file.
